1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vortex shedding flowmeters having flow obstruction bodies to generate vortices and mountings for sensors used with such flowmeters.
2. Prior Art
In the prior art various flowmeters have been advanced which use vortex formation for flow sensing. For example, a T shape cross section flow obstruction bar is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,232, and it has a significantly narrower main body section than the head of the T.
Likewise, a flow sensitive body which includes an irregular cross section is shown in FIG. 8 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,639, and in other figures of this patent, such as in FIGS. 11 and 12, bodies having modified cross sections are illustrated. In each of the configurations shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,639, the leading or upstream facing surface is contoured to provide for laminar flow. By way of contrast, in the present device, the upstream facing surface is provided with small projections which tend to cause the formation of the vortices along the lateral edges of the flow obstruction bars across a wide range of Reynolds numbers and with high response characteristics.
Additional T shaped flow obstruction bodies, and also bodies which include triangular cross section and other somewhat irregular sections, other than rectilinear or cylindrical are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,117. Again the particular shapes and operation are different from that shown in the present application.
Additional patents which show various flowmeter configurations are cited in my copending application identified above.